Feed the Fire: A Chicago Fire Podcast · Glass House Soccer, Bleav

Major League Signings, Ernst Tanner Scandal, and Brian Gutierrez to Mexico?

·47 min·3 clips

MLS reopened its investigation into Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner after 17 sources raised new allegations.

Nick opens with a welcome back and frames the show around Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer. He says the break came during an international friendly window, so the episode starts with a bit of league-wide catch-up before the Fire talk takes over. The U.S. men's win over Uruguay gets a quick mention. He jokes that his nine-year-old noticed all the MLS players who scored, and treats that as a nice little feather in the cap for the domestic league. After that, he shifts into the Fire and the rest of the league. He says he wants to widen the transfer conversation and, if there is time, look at some roster announcements around Eastern Conference clubs before zeroing in on the biggest news items. Philadelphia becomes the biggest non-Chicago story. Nick recaps the reporting on Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner as accusations of racist, misogynistic, and homophobic statements over a period of six or seven years. He points listeners toward The Guardian and ESPN and moves on. Once that is out of the way, the conversation comes back to Chicago. He spends time on Brian Gutierrez and the talk that he could head to Liga MX. That kind of move matters to the Fire because he comes across as a player tied to the club's future and to the supporter connection around him. Nick adds a personal memory from when Gutierrez was 20 and doing a season-ticket-holder Q and A and meet-and-greet with his family. He says Gutierrez was patient, signed just about everything the kids put in front of him, and looked genuinely engaged even without much public-speaking polish. He also remembers him scoring in the playoffs and running straight toward the fans and supporter section. That is why he frames a possible transfer as something that could work out well for everyone involved, even if it would be a real loss for Fire fans. The episode then moves to Mateus Boguch. Nick notes that Boguch is at Cruz Azul, that several MLS clubs are interested, and that New England's discovery rights would have to be worked through if he came back to MLS. He questions how much those rights really matter for a player with a proven MLS track record and points to Boguch's 2024 line of 15 goals and 7 assists with LAFC. He closes with listener mail, an invitation to email ideas for Fire targets, and the usual reminder to follow, subscribe, share, rate, and review the show.

As heard by us

A loose Fire check-in that widens to the league without losing Chicago focus.

This is a Chicago Fire check-in that moves with the international break, opening on U.S. men's national team talk before settling into the Fire's roster edges, the Ernst Tanner accusations around the Philadelphia Union, and the Brian Gutierrez-to-Liga MX buzz.

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Why you'd press play

Fire rumors, Philly headlines, and a wider MLS roster reset.

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